Care workers employed by Enable Scotland will take two days of strike action this week in Glasgow and Lanarkshire, as part of an ongoing pay dispute, says UNISON today (Monday).
The staff will be on strike tomorrow (Tuesday 9 September), and again on Thursday (11). They will also hold rallies in Glasgow and Lanarkshire, demanding fair pay.
Employees will hand over symbolic ‘invoices’ to the office of cabinet secretary for health and social care Neil Gray, calling for payment of their outstanding earnings.
UNISON estimates care workers have been underpaid by £5,500* since April 2022. This is because of the Scottish government’s broken promise to match carers’ pay with NHS rates.
The Scottish government sets the hourly pay rates for care workers across Scotland and can resolve this dispute and lift thousands of care workers out of poverty, says the union.
Previous strikes took place in May and June this year, with care staff across Scotland walking out for the first time in 10 years.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “These care workers have been underpaid for far too long. Going on strike is the last thing they want to do, but they’ve been left with no other option.
“They deliver vital care to some of the most vulnerable people in the country, yet their wages simply aren’t enough to live on.
“The Scottish government must do the right thing by better funding social care and showing workers that they value them by paying them fair, decent wages.”
UNISON Scotland regional organiser Jennifer McCarey said: “No care worker takes the decision to strike lightly. But after years of broken promises, low pay and with a sector in crisis, they’ve had enough.
“Staff are taking a stand not just for themselves but for the people they care for every day.
“Only substantial improvement to the hourly rate for care workers in Scotland will save the sector from disaster.
“The Scottish government must invest in social care and deliver fair pay to the workers who provide these essential services.”
Notes to editors:
– *Workers in the NHS are paid £13.22 an hour on Band 2 of the NHS pay scale, compared to just £12.60 for those outside the health service, a difference of 62p an hour. UNISON has calculated that a care worker on a standard 39-hour full-time contract would be £5,587 better off if their pay had continued to track the NHS band 2 hourly rate for healthcare support worker.
– Photo opportunities, strike dates (and picket lines) are as follows:
Tuesday (9): Rally at Airdrie town hall (ML6 0AS) from 9.30am to 1pm, with a photocall at 10.30am. Strikers will also be marching to Neil Gray MSP’s constituency office.
Thursday (11): Picket line at Enable Scotland, Rogart street, Glasgow G40 2AA from 9am to 1pm. A photocall takes place at 10.30am at the same location.
– UNISON represents around 650 workers at Enable Scotland. The union has agreed ‘life and limb’ cover with the employer during the strike to protect those most at risk.
– UNISON is Scotland’s largest union, with more than 150,000 members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.